Millions of smart meters across Great Britain are currently disconnected, leaving many at risk of paying inaccruate energy bills, according to a new report.
The smart meters have been stuck in “dumb mode,” meaning they can’t send automatic readings to energy suppliers or provide real-time usage insights to households. This leaves many customers unable to track their energy use accurately or take advantage of potential savings.
The research, carried out by comparison site Uswitch.com, found that while households have been proactive, with an estimated 2.6 million with a smart meter in ‘dumb mode’ or broken display have contacted their supplier to get it fixed, a shocking 1.4 million households (41%) have been left waiting over six months.
Energy suppliers have a target to install smart meters in at least 74.5% of homes in Great Britain by the end of 2025.
However, the research found that nearly one in 10 (9%) households with a smart meter say their device is not communicating with their supplier, while a tenth (11%) say the display unit is not working properly
These displays are intended to help households monitor energy consumption in real-time and help them to manage costs.
Figures from Ofgem reveal that British Gas has the highest proportion (16.3%) of disconnected smart meters, followed by Scottish Power (14.5%) and EDF Energy (12.1%). In contrast, E has the lowest share (2.6%) ahead of Ovo (5.6%) and Utilita (5.8%).
Worryingly, the average household has contacted their supplier four times to try and get their devices repaired, while one in 10 (10%) have chased eight times or more.
More than a third (36%) of households say they don’t have a smart meter installed, of which almost half (48%) said they may get one at some point in the future. However, Reliability is a major consideration, with half (49%) of households without a smart meter saying they would want assurances that the technology would work properly before getting one installed.
Uswitch is calling on the energy industry to take urgent action to help smart meter customers.
Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at Uswitch.com, commented: “A working smart meter can save households time and money, helping them track and reduce their daily energy usage. Smart meters are expected to increasingly allow consumers access to cheaper energy prices when demand is low or there is lots of renewable energy available on the grid.”
However, he pointed out: “Millions of customers are not benefitting from the smart technology, which allows for accurate billing without the need to manually submit meter readings.
“While the vast majority of smart meters are working as they should, it’s vitally important that the industry takes urgent action to sort out all the disconnected smart meters, to give those customers back the benefits and help reassure households who have delayed getting one so far.
“There are multiple ways the roll-out could have been improved, but the important thing is helping more consumers reap the benefits as quickly as possible. Fixing disconnected smart meters and restoring consumer confidence in their reliability are fundamental to this.
“If your smart meter’s in-home display is not working, there are other ways to view your smart meter data. The Uswitch app, for example, connects to your smart meter to help you track your daily energy usage from your phone instead.”
